What Hope Remains When The Sky Is Burning?
by TheFallenProtagonist
Summary: The Emperor and his enforcer lay dead. The Death Star is no more. The Empire's future is no longer assured. The support of the galaxy has fallen to terrorists. And as such, what purpose remains for those loyal few, left to die in the ruins, surrounded by enemies, and questioning their own faith and resolve? Well, this is the story of one such individual...One named TK-2938.


**First story I've done. Star Wars is something I'm passionate about. Let's see how this turns out. If it's liked, I'll make more. If it's not, I won't. This chapter is a taste test. If it's not liked, I won't do more. If it is, then future chapters will be much longer.**

 **Reviews are how I know whether or not to continue.**

 **A disclaimer would be dumb. It's fairly obvious what I own and don't own, so this is the one time I'll state it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. I own Mercy. Deal.**

CHAPTER 1: Sky

The sky.

That was the first thing she saw.

The brilliant blaze of orange against blue sky, that burned the space above, not unlike the shrapnel lodged in her side. It would be beautiful, if it wasn't so horrible of a thing. A symbol. A sign of the "Golden Age"'s end. The Emperor was dead. The beacon of hope, the display of Imperial power, the star that played the harbinger of death...had, for a second time, been extinguished. The throne has been shattered.

TK-2938. Lieutenant Mercy Kirise could barely read her own identification number through the haze of static, cracks, and holographic warnings that cluttered her helmet's HUD. She attempted to sit up, only to have the blinding pain in her side send her back to the ground. There was a moment where she couldn't feel her legs, though thankfully, that seemed to pass quickly enough.

Mercy's Interceptor-class TIE was in shambles a few feet away. She could feel the heat from the flames. The rather large shard of hot glass, along with plenty more shrapnel, was due mostly in part to the fact that she'd been thrown face-first through the canopy when it had crashed.

In the distance, the lieutenant could still hear the faint sound of explosions and blaster fire from the battle that still raged on. But what was the point now? The Emperor was dead, and the imperial masterpiece had been destroyed once more. There was little chance to recover, but for right now, she needed to worry about herself.

Using what little strength she could muster, the stormtrooper slowly dragged herself over to the clear lake that the TIE crashed near. She was lucky it didn't hit the water itself, or she most likely would have drowned, trapped in what would be her mangled, metal tomb of a ship. At least, laying crippled in the gravel, she had a chance.

Mercy grunted in discomfort as she managed to pull the weathered helmet from her head, dropping it beside her as she gasped, taking a deep breath of the fresh air that rushed to fill her lungs. She finally got up to her knees, and cupped her hands together, filling them with a bit of the crystal clear water. It dripped through her fingers, and she could feel it through her gloves. Bringing it up to her lips confirmed the refreshing coolness that she had hoped for.

"How did this happen...?"

The words were exhaled with a slight wheeze, and moved to sit up against a large stone. How had it all happened? How had the rebels bested them so, and with the help of furry vermin, for that matter?

She held her hands at her side, wincing with a small vocalization of pain as she pulled the bloodied shard free of her wound, and held her hands against it in an attempt to slow the bleeding. The only medkit she had on-hand was in the cockpit of her TIE, assuming it hadn't fallen out during the crash. Unfortunately, "walking" wasn't something she was able to properly do at the moment.

Mercy held up her wrist comm. "Nn...VP-7..." A desperate call to her only companion. She frowned as she received no answer. She wouldn't get far without that probe droid, so finding it would be a top priority. She looked around for the moment, and her expression brightened for a moment as her eyes fell on a rather large stick, one that looked strong enough to support her weight. Fitting her damaged helmet back over her head, she began to reach for it.


End file.
